Government

Wells Fargo Used Dubious Appraisals to Cut Home Equity Lines, Suit Says

A new lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Co. over its home equity line practices, adding to a growing list of litigation against the mortgage lender for which class action status is being sought. Homeowner Michael Hickman contends that Wells Fargo is using inaccurate computerized appraisals to obtain…

Aug 19, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

Armored Truck Nicknamed Armadillo is Unique Anti-Crime Tool in Peoria, Ill.

It isn’t the surveillance cameras so much as the shame factor that makes an armored truck affectionately termed the Armadillo one of the most effective crime-fighting tools in the Peoria, Ill., town arsenal, officials say. When drug dealing or another household nuisance becomes too much for neighbors to endure, police…

Aug 18, 2009 11:34 PM CDT

Proposed Paterson, N.J., Curfew Could Be 1st in US for Adults

A controversial proposal to impose a two-month curfew in Paterson, N.J., for individuals of all ages after a number of deadly shootings has been drawing fire from civil libertarians, and it appears that city lawmakers may be rethinking it. The suggested ban on loitering outside between midnight and 7 a.m.…

Aug 18, 2009 9:53 PM CDT

FBI Taught Jailed Blogger to Incite Others, Hal Turner Defense Lawyer Says

Federal agents taught a blogger Hal Turner what he could and could not say on Internet websites as they trained him to be an “agent provacateur” pushing others to behave in a manner that created cause for their arrest, his lawyer contends. Turner, who is jailed without bail in Chicago…

Aug 18, 2009 6:44 PM CDT

Ariz. Sheriff Seizes County Computers Without Warrant

Initially, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., filed suit against the county’s Board of Supervisors to attempt to gain control over computers in another county office containing criminal justice information. But when the case wasn’t immediately resolved to his satisfaction he sent over his deputies to seize the computers…

Aug 17, 2009 9:31 PM CDT

‘No Choice’ But to Shoot 4 Would-Be Robbers, Says Store Owner, 72

The 72-year-old owner of a New York City restaurant supply store who made headlines yesterday when he shot two alleged would-be robbers to death and wounded two more, says he is “sick to my stomach” over the incident but had “no choice” but to pull the trigger. After one member…

Aug 14, 2009 8:01 PM CDT

Floyd Abrams and Ted Olson Squabble Over Oral Argument in FEC Case

As observers eagerly await a U.S. Supreme Court reargument next month in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, big-name lawyers are battling over who gets to make part of the oral presentation. Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson represents Citizens United. But, contending in a motion that Olson’s brief is…

Aug 14, 2009 7:40 PM CDT

Attorney Ad on Court Clerk’s Website Aggravates Other Lawyers

A lawyer’s ad for traffic court representation displayed on the website for the court clerk in Chicago’s Cook County is drawing lots of attention—from fellow practitioners. One downstate lawyer called the idea of lawyer advertising on a government website “outrageous” in a message he posted on an Illinois State Bar…

Aug 14, 2009 2:59 PM CDT

After Worker Is Whipped With Glock, Store Owner, 72, Shoots 4, Police Say

Updated: After a 33-year-old worker inside a New York restaurant supply store allegedly was pistol-whipped with a 9-mm Glock by one member of a group of would-be robbers this afternoon, the 72-year-old owner of Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame Corporation took action. He opened fire with his own shotgun, killing two…

Aug 13, 2009 11:23 PM CDT

1st Cir. Revives ‘Civil Action’ Lawyer’s Whistle-Blower Suit Against J&J

A federal appeals court has revived a whistle-blower suit against a major pharmaceutical company concerning the marketing of its anti-anemia drug Procrit. The Medicare fraud suit brought against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ortho Biotech, by former pharmaceutical sales representatives potentially could result in a multibillion-dollar damages award, according…

Aug 13, 2009 9:53 PM CDT

Civil Practice Puts Russian Lawyers at Risk of Violence and Criminal Charges

Three highly regarded Russian lawyers thought they were representing Hermitage Capital investment fund in a routine tax case. Now one of the attorneys is jailed and two others are in exile, after uncovering what appears to be a breathtaking fraud involving government officials who allegedly colluded to wrest control of…

Aug 13, 2009 7:08 PM CDT

$500M Gov’t Settlement Could Aid 200K Social Security-Eligible Individuals

A federal judge in San Francisco gave preliminary approval today to a plan by the Social Security Administration to pay $500 million to settle a class action brought on behalf of 80,000 recipients who lost their benefits, starting in 2007, after being classified as individuals using government benefits to flee…

Aug 11, 2009 11:10 PM CDT

‘Lawyers in Love’ Could Be White House Theme Song

The Obamas aren’t the only lawyers in love at the White House. Cass Sunstein, a former University of Chicago law professor, met his wife Samantha Power while the two were working on Obama’s presidential campaign. Now Sunstein is charged with managing government regulations while Power is a senior official at…

Aug 11, 2009 6:24 PM CDT

Wis. Gov’s Unlicensed Chief Counsel Resigns After GOP Objects

An unlicensed attorney who served as a senior advisor to the Democratic governor of Wisconsin and was known as his chief legal counsel resigned in a terse letter dated Friday, after a Republican group objected to the situation, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. “Chandra Miller Fienen has voluntarily tendered her…

Aug 10, 2009 9:21 PM CDT

‘Garbage’ New York Fair Housing Suit Leads to Landmark Settlement

A lawsuit initially dismissed as “garbage” by officials in the well-to-do New York City suburb of Westchester County has now led to what the New York Times describes as a landmark settlement. Without admitting liability concerning claims that the county misrepresented when obtaining federal funds that it had complied with…

Aug 10, 2009 7:34 PM CDT